Harlem Fire Watchtower

Harlem is one of New York City’s most vibrant and historically significant neighborhoods and home to the majestic Marcus Garvey Park . Perched 70 feet above street level, on top of the park’s Atrium, is the historical Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Park Tower. Designed by James Bogardus and built by German American engineer Julius H. Kroehl, from 1855 to 1857, the Tower stands 47 feet tall, with a 10,000-pound bell suspended at its center.

After a catastrophic fire in 1835, a series of watch towers were built throughout New York City to give firefighters a bird’s eye view to watch over the wooden buildings of the community, and ring the bell to alert the local fire station. As industrialization swept America, and pull boxes were invented, the watchtowers, which numbered eleven at their peak, became obsolete, and in time the towers were torn down.

Due to its location in the city and the support of the community, the Harlem Fire Watchtower is the only surviving structure from Bogardus’ designs using cast-iron architecture which inspired the steel cages that help support our modern-day skyscrapers. The Tower became a New York City landmark in 1967, and underwent full restoration in 2019. Today, this historical monument stands tall, honoring the evolution of the NYC Fire Department.

“Windy” by Meriem Bennani

Along the High Line at 24th Street sits­—or rather, spins—a new sculpture by New York-based artist Meriem Bennani. “Windy”, a spinning sculpture in the shape of a tornado and made of black foam, plays with traditions of public sculpture, as well as with what visuals and motions constitute the increasingly fast pace of life in New York City. The 9-foot-tall sculpture, on display until next May, is in non-stop motion powered by electrical bike motors, built to both withstand and interact with all four seasons of New York weather. The piece, which marks Benanni’s first public sculpture and her most abstract work to date, exists as an homage to the dynamism and constant movement of the city and the High Line specifically, capturing in art the urban energy of the place we call home. The frantic and perpetual motion of the sculpture “captures the experience of walking through New York City’s crowded streets and the frequency of movement on the High Line, one of the city’s most visited public parks. “Windy” is a poignant visual of New York City’s frenzied and intoxicating energy”.  

Chasing Waterfalls at Greenacre Park

New York City is full of hidden treasures. Nestled on 51st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues is a gem known as Greenacre Park. Designed by Japanese American architect, Hideo Sasaki, and brought to life by the Greenacre Foundation, which was established by Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, the private park officially opened to the public in 1971.  Mr. Sasaki’s vision for the space “to provide a place for the general public to gain special repose from the increasing city experience of noise, concrete, and humdrum,” comes to life in the park’s lush surroundings of shady honey locust trees, perennial flowers, and walls crawling with ivy. All of which create an enchanting oasis away from the bustling city streets. The highlight of this historical landmark is the twenty-five-foot-tall waterfall that cascades into the park from three stories up transforming the little park in Turtle Bay into a tropical sanctuary. The dramatic waterfall is loud enough to drown out of the sounds of the city, and also provides a welcoming tranquil brook just at foot of the waterfall. The park provides a fun, secret getaway in the heart of Mid-Town Manhattan where one can gather their thoughts and be transported to another place.

USCIS Has Reached the H-1B Cap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced they have received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions needed to reach the H-1B cap limit for fiscal year 2023 (“FY 2023”), which runs from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.  This applies to both the congressionally mandated 65,000 FY 2023 regular cap limit, as well as the 20,000 advanced degree (masters) cap exemptions. USCIS confirmed it has “completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts.”

USCIS will continue to accept and process H-1B petitions exempt from the cap including petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap and who still retain their cap number, as well as H-1B petitions for extensions, change in terms of employment, change-of-employer, and concurrent employment. To receive future updates about the H-1B program, USCIS encourages applicants to subscribe to the H-1B Cap Season page.

El Toro de Oro by Enrique Cabrera

The bronze Charging Bull statue that has come to represent the US stock market has been on display in Manhattan’s Financial District since 1989. Nearby, in the Meatpacking District, a brand-new bronze bull sculpture is on view. Mexican sculptor Enrique Cabrera’s El Toro de Oro, which translates to ‘The Golden Bull,’ is an homage to the neighborhood’s past and future. The butcher block-inspired pedestal is a nod to the slaughterhouses and meat packing and processing plants that once defined the neighborhood. The shiny, multifaceted sculpture sparkles in the sunlight atop this platform, celebrating the neighborhood’s reincarnation as a vibrant nightlife and high-end food epicenter. The contrast is “a visual representation of the Meatpacking District’s immense transformation over the last two decades.”